Appropriate Water Technology for Developing Countries

Appropriate Water Technology
for Developing Countries
Andrew, Cindy, Ian, Joanne

Water and Sustainable
Development
• Lack of Access to Clean Water Inhibits
Development
– Direct Economic Costs
• Disease, Cholera, Other Diarrheas
• Decreased Agricultural Production
• Extra Effort Put into Obtaining Clean Water
– Indirect Economic Costs:
• Conflicts over Water Rights
• Concern with Doing Business in Countries with
Water Quality Problems

Barriers to Sustainable
• Inconsistent Supply:
– Current drought in
Somalia has forced
farmers to flee to refuge
camps in Kenya.
• Direct Cost:
– Agriculture
– Aid
• Indirect Cost
– Communities Effects
• Lost Local Knowledge
• Infrastructure
Abandoned
Development

Barriers to Sustainable
• Unsanitary Supply
– Cholera: 1991
out-break costs
Peru $770M
• Import Bans
• Tourism Lost
– Cholera: Current
Zimbabwe, up to
8K cases *week -1
in Feb 2009
Development
http://gamapserver.who.int/mapLibrary/app/searchResults.asp
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Aspects of Water Stress
• To address water
access: water
quantity and quality
are both of concern.
– Deficiencies usually,
but not always, occur
together.
– Water supply and
sanitation issues in
rural and urban areas
may be different.
maps.grida.no/go/graphic/water-supply-and-sanitation-coverage-inafrica

Water Stress and Supply
• Locations where
water stress or
unsanitary supply
occur don’t
necessarily lack
water.
– Groundwater
– Contaminated Surface
Water
– Water Transport worldwatercouncil.org/typo3temp/pics/26ea73f784.jpg

What is appropriate technology?
• Using the simplest level of technology that
can effectively achieve the intended
purpose in a particular location.

Technology to Improve Water
Access
• Improve Access to Clean Water by:
– Extracting Groundwater with the Kick Start
– Transporting Surface Water with the Hippo
Roller
– Sanitizing Water with a Ceramic Filter

Water Extraction - KickStart

Water Extraction/Pumping
• 70% of those living on less than $1 a day
are subsistence farmers (80% in sub-
Saharan Africa)- ~770 million people*
• Many lack access to surface water, but
have water 10-12 feet below ground level
• Challenge: how to extract water for
irrigation, hygiene, and sanitation
Fisher, Martin. Income is Development. MIT innovations, winter 2006: pp. 9-30.

Why does it matter?
• Income
– From one harvest to 3-4 per year
– Increased yields
– High-value crops
– Grow in off-season, when prices are
highest
– Up to 10x Increase in incomes
• Hygiene
– Increased access to water can
facilitate hand-washing
• Sanitation
– Washing away human waste

Inadequate Alternatives
• Bucket
– Inefficient: two people can only irrigate 1/8
acre
• Diesel Pump
– Expensive
– Limited access to fuel
• Electric pump
– Most farmers can’t access grid electricity

Solution: KickStart Treadle
Pump
www.jamodrum.net/images/2boys-kickstart.jpg
http://www.spanpump.com/IMAGES/treadle.jpg

KickStart: Appropriate Design
• Inexpensive ($95 for Super MoneyMaker,
$55 for MoneyMaker Plus)
• Effective: draws water up to 7m and can
pump up to 14m
• Simple
• Robust/durable
• Powered by user

Impacts *
• 136,000 pumps sold
• $88.7 million in additional annual income
• 439,000 people moved out of poverty
• Increased crop diversity
*As of September 30, 2009. http://www.kickstart.org/what-we-do/impact

Water Transport – Hippo Water
Roller

Water Transport
• Millions of people are forced to
walk long distances on a daily
basis to collect water
requirements for the day
• Traditional methods include
use of 20-liter (5-gallon)
buckets which are laboriously
carried on the head
http://www.hipporoller.org/productWhy.html

Why does it matter?
• TIME-intensive
– Women and children typically get water. The
time spent walking to/from water source and
walking back could be re-directed towards
livelihood and education
• INEFFICIENT
– Water spills from open bucket as carrier walks on
dirt roads
• Negative HEALTH impact
– Weight from carrying bucket on head can
damage spine, neck, and knees over time

Solution: Hippo Water Roller
http://www.hipporoller.org/

About the Hippo Water Roller
http://www.design21sdn.com/feature/21
• Large UV-stabilized
polyethylene drum with
screw-on lid and steel
clip-on handle
• Large opening allows for
easy filling and cleaning
of interior
• Sealed lid ensures
hygienic storage of water
• Holds 90 liters (24
gallons)
• All products
manufactured in South
Africa

Rugged design to survive rough
terrain, broken bottles, rocks
http://www.hipporoller.org/gallery.html

Even the Obamas use the Hippo
Water Roller!
http://www.hipporoller.org/newsObama.html

Drawbacks
• High price
point - $90 to
manufacture
• Inefficient
design for
shipping
overseas
http://www.hipporoller.org/news.html

Water Sanitation – CrystalPur
Filter

Clean Safe Water
• Most rural people use
water from lakes,
rivers, canals, etc.
• Over 884 million
people still use
unsafe drinking water
sources
• Lack of access to
adequate water
contributes to deaths
and illness, especially
children
Source: http://www.unicef.org/wash/

Diarrhea and poor water supply
• Diarrhea
– 4 billion cases/year
– 2.2 mmillion
deaths/years (mostly
children < age 5)
• Cholera
– Bacterial disease
spread through water
– Causes severe
diarrhea and
dehydration
and sanitation
Sources: http://www.childinfo.org/water.html
http://www.allhealthsite.com/common-causes-of-diarrhea.html

CrystalPur Filter
• Ceramic water filter
• No chemicals or
electricity needed
• Removes almost all
water bourne
contaminants
• Purifies 4-6 L/h
• inexpensive
• 1 filter kit provides clean
water for 25 people for
one year
• Weigh less than 500g
(1.1 lb)
• Can treat up to 7000L
Source: https://www.diageogivingforgood.com/how_filters_work.aspx

How it works
Source: https://www.diageogivingforgood.com/how_filters_work.aspx

Water Filter Program
• Diageo foundation donated 3500 units to
150 primary and secondary schools in
Uganda
• 8 million rural Ugandans do not have
regular access to clean drinking water
• Only 58% of Ugandans has access to an
improved water source
• Began October 2008 and ends October
2009

Questions?
http://www.auburn.edu/projects/sustainability/newsletter/water.jpg